Too early to normalize relations with Pakistan: India

Jan 23, 2013, 07.51PM ISTTNN[ Rajat Pandit ]

The situation on the LoC had turned bad after the beheading of two Indian soldiers by Pakistan army troops in the Mendhar sector.

NEW DELHI: A day after India declined Pakistan's offer for talks, defence minister AK Antony on Wednesday said the military flare-up along the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir may have eased but it was too early to get back to normal business as usual with Islamabad.

"It's too early to talk about normalizing the relations. We have to wait and watch, assess the ground situation and other factors. Regarding the future course of action and relations in the future, we will not take a hasty decision," said Antony.

Holding that infiltration bids by militants along the 778km LoC were in progress even now during the extreme winter, when many mountain passes are snowed under, the minister said, "If this is the case now, what will be the position (of infiltration) in the summer?"

The situation on the LoC had turned red-hot, with the two armies exchanging heavy fire on a daily basis, after Pakistani Army "regulars" crossed over into the Mendhar sector in J&K and beheaded an Indian soldier and mutilated the body of another on January 8. Indian officials said the Pakistani Army had violated the ceasefire, which had come into force in November 2003, almost 15 times since January 1.

The diplomatic chill, however, persists. "After the latest round of talks between the two DGMOs, the tension on the LoC has reduced but I cannot say or set a timeline for normalizing the atmosphere ... It depends on so many factors," said Antony.

"We have to cross our fingers and after the tragic and inhuman incident, even though Pakistan has assured us certain things, we have to see how this assurance translates into action," he added.

The Army, on its part, says the infrastructure of terrorism is still "very much intact" across the border, with over 2,500 militants in 43 terror-training camps. Moreover, around 450 terrorists are present on "border launch pads" waiting for an opportunity to sneak into India, with militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba working in close conjunction with the Pakistan Army to launch attacks in India.